Dryer Vent Rerouting

Code Compliant Dryer Vent Rerouting.

Dryer Vent Tech is your go-to-source for all dryer vent maintenance services including dryer vent rerouting in Nashville TN. If you’re doing some due diligence on dryer vent rerouting, either you’re just curious or you may be in need of a code compliant dryer vent reroute. If you’re just curious, you’ll enjoy the details and photos on this page. If you’re researching this for the purpose of gaining some insight before choosing to hire a pro, you’re also in the right place. Before we start show casing various dryer vent rerouting jobs we’ve done, if you’d like to receive a quote from us go here.

In this article we will explain why this service is necessary due to various safety hazards and we will show you pictures of a few reroute jobs we’ve done, which will give you a better idea of what’s all involved in the process.

Get the DVT code compliant dryer vent reroute.

Dryer Vent Tech is your go-to-source for all dryer vent maintenance services including dryer vent rerouting in Nashville TN. If you’re doing some due diligence on dryer vent rerouting, either you’re just curious or you may be in need of a code compliant dryer vent reroute. If you’re just curious, you’ll enjoy the details and photos on this page. If you’re researching this for the purpose of gaining some insight before choosing to hire a pro, you’re also in the right place. Before we start show casing various dryer vent rerouting jobs we’ve done, if you’d like to receive a quote from us go here.

Why Do Some Dryer Vents Need to Be Rerouted

Most of the time, when a dryer vent needs to be rerouted it is due to a code violation and/or safety hazard. There are three main reasons a dryer vent may need to be rerouted:

It's Too Long

If your dryer vent is over 35 ft in length it's non code compliant and poses a potential fire hazard if it is not well maintained, boosted (with a dryer exhaust booster fan) or rerouted to a shorter safer distance. It is important to note, when measuring the total length of the dryer vent, that each 90 degree elbow accounts for 5 ft and every 45 degree elbow accounts for 2.5 ft of the total length.

The Termination Point is Unsafe and/or Non-Code Compliant

If your exterior dryer vent cover is below ground level (see photo on the right) this can cause serious complications because when it rains water will collect inside of the vent and cause airflow blockages, mold and rust. Another problem we find is with the type of cover being used on a roof vent. If the wrong cover is installed on a roof vent, like an attic vent cover for example (see photo on the right), it is almost always easiest to reroute the dryer vent through another exit point and install the correct cover rather than trying to replace it.

Uneven Route / Too Many Elbows

If your dryer vent routes downward than upward like a "U" or it has too many elbows, the fact that it may be short and the right type of material, usually isn't good enough. These twists and turns or dips and rises in your dryer vent create traps for lint and debris. Straightening your dryer vent can improve dryer efficiency and eliminate unnecessary risks.

Why Do Some Dryer Vents Need to Be Rerouted

Most of the time, when a dryer vent needs to be rerouted it is due to a code violation and/or safety hazard. There are three main reasons a dryer vent may need to be rerouted:

It's Too Long

The Termination Point is Unsafe and/or Non-Code Compliant

Uneven Route / Too Many Elbows

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measuring the exit point for the dryer vent reroute 300x225

cutting a hole for the dryer vent 300x225

cutting a hole through brick wall for dryer vent reroute 300x225

reroute finish and dryer blowing freely 300x225

Ground Level Dryer Vent Reroute

When we initially inspected this dryer vent, there were 3 glaring code violations that were a huge safety hazard to the customer and their home.

First off, as you can see in the photos, it was plastic flex hose (a red hot fire hazard).

Second, it was disconnected due to tons of hazardous lint weighing down the flimsy excuse for a dryer vent and the hot moist air from the dryer exhaust over a long period of time, causing it to fall a part.

Third, it was way too long and routed unevenly to an outside wall much further away than necessary.

Once we took a few measurements and confirmed a code compliant route and quote with our customer, we got to work tearing down the plastic flex hose, cutting new holes and installing the brand new, fully galvanized steel hard pipe much to our customer’s satisfaction.

Ground Level Dryer Vent Reroute

When we initially inspected this dryer vent, there were 3 glaring code violations that were a huge safety hazard to the customer and their home.

First off, as you can see in the photos, it was plastic flex hose (a red hot fire hazard).

Third, it was way too long and routed unevenly to an outside wall much further away than necessary.

Second Story Dryer Vent Reroute

This particular reroute was by far the most difficult and time consuming dryer vent reroute we’ve tackled to date. This dryer vent, located in a ground floor condo beneath another unit, was initially routing up past 2 stories and out through the roof. This, being non code compliant due to the length, needed to be rerouted to a shorter distance.

Only one challenge which made this turn into a difficult reroute; there was no crawlspace. This unit is sitting on a concrete slab. So, instead of just routing the dryer vent down and out through the crawlspace we had to route it up and over, between the sub-floor, beneath the second story unit.

After taking very tedious measurements and using the stud finder on the ceiling numerous times, we confirmed a route for the new, safer, code compliant second story dryer vent.

As you can see in the photos, we had to remove quite a bit of drywall in order to properly install the hard pipe. Once we core drilled the hole in the exterior wall, and finished installing the dryer vent cover, we replaced the drywall, patched it, sanded it and painted it. Phew! It was such a relief when this job was complete!

drywall removed on ceiling for dryer vent reroute 300x225

Second Story Dryer Vent Reroute

After taking very tedious measurements and using the stud finder on the ceiling numerous times, we confirmed a route for the new, safer, code compliant second story dryer vent.

plastic flex hose reroute in nashville tn 300x225

dryer vent inlet and braces for drywall replacement 300x225

Dryer Roof Vent Reroute

We received a request to come inspect a dryer roof vent to see if it was code compliant. Well… it definitely wasn’t code compliant. It consisted of flexible/flammable plastic hosing and was routing to the roof where it was capped off with a standard attic vent cover. Two blatant code compliance violations.

In this case, since the attic vent cover was a non-code compliant fire hazard and much larger than a standard dryer vent roof cover, we couldn’t simply replace it with something code compliant (due to shingles and water leak hazards). In order to bring this dryer vent up to code, a reroute was required.

Once we took measurements, peaked inside of the wall with a snake camera, carefully assessed the route and confirmed a quote with our customer, we began with removing drywall, cutting holes, installing the hard pipe, installing and sealing the vent cover and then replacing and patching the drywall.

Out of these three types of dryer vent reroutes, roof vents are our favorite!

Dryer Roof Vent Reroute

Out of these three types of dryer vent reroutes, roof vents are our favorite!

Don’t let a dirty dryer vent turn your home into a house fire.

Now that you've made it to the end of this page, you should have a pretty clear understanding of why you may or may not need your dryer vent rerouted and what is involved in the process.

We take our work very seriously because we know how important our services are for the safety of your home. Each customer we serve and each dryer vent we inspect, clean, reroute or install gets our undivided focus until the job is complete and our customer is satisfied with the end result. If you have any questions or would like a quote you can reach us below.